We all know about Old MacDonald and his farm. However, my first understanding of a farmer was my grandmother. She was an anomaly to my young mind because a farmer was supposed to be an elderly white man on a tractor - probably in a pair of overalls, gumboots, a hat, and with a piece of straw in his mouth.
However, that’s a big misconception as globally women of colour - just like my grandmother - are farmers. The female farmer is probably in a skirt, most likely with a headscarf on, and wearing any old covered shoes tending to her back yard that serves as her farm. Her harvest feeds her household and the community.
The truth is women are the backbone of agriculture especially in rural communities. In Africa and Asia 60 per cent of the agricultural workforce is done by women, yet our society still overlooks the worth of a woman’s work. Throughout the majority of the 20th century, women working on farms were considered “unemployed” during the United States of America’s national census. On the other hand, men working on farms doing the same or even less amount of labour were counted as “employed”.
There is an invisibility of the labour a woman performs especially in a domestic context; it is simply considered a norm and nothing extraordinary. Consequently, this work is not usually rewarded monetarily, or even valued at all.
The work of a woman is how we have been able to be. This sentiment is held close by Ruramiso Mashumba, Slyvia Tetteh, and Sussana Phiri - the co-founders of Women Who Farm Africa. All three women have a passion for agriculture and empowering African women in this field. So when they each found themselves selected for the 2019 Cornell University Alliance for Science Fellowship, it almost felt like fate and it was there that they formed their organization.
Image courtesy of Women Who Farm Africa
Their mission is straightforward and effective: Women Who Farm Africa aims to assist women farmers based in rural areas, and support either their land, production technique, technology or labour. They also guide the economic impact on a small scale. The organization wants to propel these smallholder farmers to the front line of agriculture. This is achieved by increasing their knowledge and equipping them with the technology, which will ultimately add to their income.
With funding from the Cornell University Seed Fund, the organization has been established in Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Zambia. In each branch, a leadership development program is offered to the farmers, and the curriculum is uniquely designed in the preferred language of the farmers. The farmers are trained according to their specific type of agriculture. Most rural farmers opt to grow produce due to the minimal production cost so the organization has provided the farmers with improved seeds from seeding company, SeedCo, and tractors from Eicher - an automobile manufacturing company.
The goal for Women Who Farm Africa is to end hunger on the continent by empowering women farmers. They strive to change the lives of women by assisting in the growth of their businesses - from the initial concept to the harvest the farmers will reap. A crucial part of the female farmer’s success is to understand agribusiness - the business of farming. A farm is a living entity that needs constant care in order to withstand unforeseen circumstances.The organization equips the farmers with the accurate financial management skills so they can weather any storm. The farmers are taught how to acquire funds and dedicate these funds to their input supply, production, distribution, wholesale, processing, marketing, and other agricultural activities. They are also taught how to set goals in order to plan and control their spending to ensure the continuity of their farms.
Image courtesy of Women Who Farm Africa
Furthermore, the organization has encouraged the small farmer holders to be smarter with their marketing strategies - especially during the global coronavirus pandemic. For example, instead of relying on their regular clients, Women Who Farm Africa have taught the farmers how to use Whatsapp and Facebook to advertise their produce. Another effective way for the farmers to sell their produce while it is still fresh is through direct marketing, which involves moving their produce to the farm gate. This strategy allows the farmer to connect with more consumers. The farmers can promote their future harvest and reduce post-harvest losses.
The reach of social media has helped the organization in showcasing the journey and success of the women’s lives that they have been able to impact. From their social media accounts, they have been able to gain interest from local farmers and women interested in starting a business in agriculture.
By 2025, they would like to reach 10,000 women and conduct 5,000 of their leadership development programs. Now more than ever, their goals are daunting due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many programmes have been postponed due to the restrictions of the global pandemic and online connectivity has proven difficult. Nevertheless, Mashumba, Tetteh and Phiri have not lost heart and are still reaching farmers as best as they can.
During my conversation with Tetteh, she recalled a proverb that solidifies their cause, “the one who feeds you controls your mind”. Tetteh went on to speak of how she longs for the day her continent is independent and how a simple liberating step towards that freedom is to be in full control of your daily bread.
Women Who Farm Africa is an organization that liberates women from the perception that their labour is unworthy. It is all about propelling rural African female farmers to their rightful place and feeding them with the knowledge and tools to assist in their independence from capitalist and patriarchal structures. It is an organization that frees my young mind from thinking that it can only be through a farmer like Old MacDonald that nations can be sustained.
Image courtesy of Women Who Farm Africa